Cayman sailor completes second day

Teenage sailor Florence Allan moved to 35th in the overall standings at the Rio Olympics after an improved day on the water Tuesday.

Ms Allan, 18, who is competing in the women’s Laser Radial event, finished 31st and 36th in two races on Tuesday.

After the race she said she was working hard to stay in the contest against some of the best sailors in the world. She acknowledged it had been a tough learning experience so far, particularly in the second race where a bad start left her towards the back of the 37-boat fleet.

Florence Allan sails on her second day competing in Rio.

“Every mistake you have at an event like this is exaggerated just because of how good the fleet is. No-one gives anyone an inch. If you get a bad start it is really hard to recover,” she said.

Despite some struggles, Allan showed glimpses of her talent on day two of the five days of preliminary races.

Speaking to a pool reporter with the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, Ms. Allan said “Probably one of my favorite parts of the day in the first race I had a really good down wind and was able to pass a few boats. Just seeing these big countries next to me was really nice. It is good to know I can compete with them and I am fast enough, it’s just having the right circumstances.”

She said the demands of competing in ten races in five days where mental as well as physical.

“Pushing your body as far as it can go during the races and then trying to recover overnight is difficult. Mentally it is really hard when you are not having the regatta you wanted or you are making mistakes you know you wouldn’t usually make.”

But she said she was giving it her best shot.

“You just have to work your hardest and be happy with yourself,” she added.